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Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku would be open to joining Chelsea this summer, with the Blues making a lucrative offer to secure his services earlier this year, according to reports. The Belgian marksman has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge in recent months as Thomas Tuchel looks to strengthen his ranks in advance of a renewed Premier League title challenge next season.
Chelsea’s current options at the top of the pitch are somewhat limited for a side that have just been crowned European champions, with Kai Havertz forced to adapt to the No 9 role towards the back end of the previous campaign.
Timo Werner has struggled to fire on all cylinders after joining the Blues from RB Leipzig a year ago, managing just six league goals.
Meanwhile, Tammy Abraham has fallen drastically out of favour since the turn of the year despite finishing the season as the club’s joint-top scorer in all competitions.
The addition of a new attacking talisman is said to be at the top of Chelsea’s list of summer priorities, with Erling Haaland understood to be the club’s main target.
However, a move for the 20-year-old could be difficult to engineer if Dortmund refuse to budge on their reported £150million asking price this summer.
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The Blues have also been tipped to mount an approach for Lukaku as they explore their options in the event of Haaland staying in Germany for at least another season.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is working on a move for the Inter man behind the scenes, with the player himself open to joining his former club in order to prove his worth in west London, according to Eurosport.
The report claims that although Lukaku is happy in Milan and is yet to push for a summer exit, he would jump at the chance to play a starring role for the Blues after struggling to hold down a first-team place during his previous spell at the club.
Chelsea are said to have already stepped up their interest in the forward by submitting a ‘very good’ personal offer through intermediaries earlier in the summer.
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The 28-year-old recently claimed that he would be looking to stay at the San Siro for the foreseeable future, but it is believed that a move back to London is not entirely out of the question.
However, it remains to be seen whether Inter boss Simone Inzaghi will be prepared to sanction Lukaku’s departure before the start of the new campaign.
He has emerged as one of the world’s best strikers since joining the Italian giants in the summer of 2019 and led their Serie A title charge with 24 league goals over the course of last season.
Inter have already sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, but it seems likely that further departures may be on the horizon over the coming weeks and months.
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Meanwhile, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has warned Chelsea over launching a move for Lukaku, highlighting the striker’s inability to succeed at Stamford Bridge during his previous spell at the club.
“Chelsea are in a position now where if they sign a centre-forward, he has to be a natural finisher,” Nicol told ESPN FC.
“That’s the one thing they’re missing. As many goals as Lukaku has, he’s not a natural finisher. He has been at Chelsea twice before.”
Chelsea will begin their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on August 14 as Tuchel aims to follow up last season’s Champions League triumph with a return to the top of the domestic pile.
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